Smoke cooking device



Sept. 12, 1967 w. H. 'QI'ORIAN 3,340,864

SMOKE COOKING DEVICE Original Filed July 17, 1961 '2SheetsSheet 1 IN VEN TOR.

HILL [AM J's/Aka]; 7021A.

ATTORJV'Y Sept. 12, 1967 WHTORMN 3,340,864

SMOKE COOKING DEVICE Original Filed July 17, 1961 2 Sheets-Sheet IN VENTOR.

WILLIAM HAROLD TOEfA/V AT TOEJYEY United States Patent Ofifice 33405864Patented Sept. 12, 1967 3,340,864 SMOKE COOKING DEVICE William HaroldTorian, P.O. Box 8041, Dallas, Tex. 75205 Continuation of applicationSer. No. 124,492, July 17, 1961. This application Apr. 12, 1965, Ser.No.

8 Claims. (Cl. 126-25) This application is a continuation of mycopending application Ser. No. 124,492, filed July 17, 1961, nowabandoned.

This invention relates to a smoke cooking device and particularly to adevice of this sort for cooking with hot smoke only which is one methodfor barbecuing meat. The instant device has to do with the control ofthe heat or hot smoke during the cooking.

Some cooking devices, such as outdoor cookers, employ a fire box of somesort in which is placed the fuel such as charcoal or wood. Such cookersare provided with a grill or grid on which the meat or other food isplaced during the cooking operation. In the conventional open cooking orbroiling operation, the cooker is open at the top and the food is cookedfrom the heat of-the fuel in close proximity thereto. If the cooker isprovided with a lid or cover, it may be closed and the cooking operationthen becomes one of hot smoke or a combination of heat and hot smoke.Certain cuts of meat are cooked the best when subjected only to slowcooking from indirect heat such as produced in an oven, or even betterstill from the heated smoke which is allowed to come into contact withthe meat. Control of the heat and the extent and duration of the hotsmoke is important since this determines the speed at whichthe meatcooks. While some prior art devices are capable of being closed and tocook with hot smoke, there is inadequate means for setting orcontrolling the extent of the hot smoke.

The present device in one embodiment thereof is adapted to be applied tocertain types of closed smoke cookers to provide a continuous controlover the extent of the hot smoke.

Generally described, without restriction on the scope of my invention asdefined in the appended claims, the instant invention finds applicationwith use with cookers of the sort having a fuel box or fire box bodyconstructed from sheet metal, cast iron or the like, on which there islocated a movable lid or top capable of closing the fire box into aclosed container and having suitable louvers or vents thereon from whichheat and smoke may escape as well as having an ash door around the bodyof the fire box through which fuel may be added, or through which thecontents may be inspected from time to time and basted or otherwisetreated. One form of the present smoker accessory device comprises asheet metal box or container closed on all sides and the bottom and openon the top except for one portion of one side which is closed by athermostatically controlled draft device. The draft device of thepresent smoker comprises a casting or base member having an openingformed therein in communication with the interior of said smoker boxthrough the opening in the side. A damper device on said base comprisesa pivotally movable damper gate connected with a metallic coil springdevice having a control member extending from it to said gate andresponding to a change in temperature to expand and contract and to movethe draft gate in response thereto. The draft gate is adjustable bymeans of an adjustment screw to pre-set the approximate temperature atwhich the gate opens and closes as well as the extent of opening orclosing the opening at the time the gate does move. Inside the smokerbox there is positioned a pair of cast iron grates extending fromopposite sides down into the bottom of the box and forming a gratestructure on which fuel, such as charcoal and wood and the like may beplaced. The smoker box may be inserted or removed from a cookerpreferably at one end thereof. In the operation of the device, the draftapparatus is placed pointing towards the open, inside portion of thefire box, and the grid of the cooker is positioned at a level suitablefor cooking the food contained thereon. Once the fire is started in thesmoker fire box, the lid of the cooker may be closed and the cooker leftfor a period of a time such as an hour or move without attention exceptperhaps for occasional basting of the food.

An object of this invention is to provide an automatically controlledsmoker device for cookers.

A further object of this device resides in the draft controlledapparatus used with the instant automatic smoker device whereby theextent of cooking and of hot smoke may be pre-set and thereby regulatedduring the cooking time without constant attention.

An additional object of this invention is to provide a method of smokecooking food on the closed inside of a cooker, employing a pre-setautomatic draft control for controlling the heat of the hot smokeemployed.

Still another object of this invention resides in the construction ofthe instant smoker device employing a removable fire box with a built-indraft control and having removable fuel grates thereon for quickassembling and disassembling and for cleanliness.

An additional object of the present invention resides in theconstruction of the smoker accessory whereby it may be substituted inconventional closed cookers for one or more of the grids or gratesnormally found thereon or may otherwise be applied to existing cookerswith very little modification required.

A further object of this invention resides in the details ofconstruction of the draft device whereby it may be pre-set to anapproximate temperature operation and will maintain and regulate theheat of the smoke according to such setting.

An additional object of the present invention resides in the simplicityof the construction of the smoker fire box and the draft controlattached thereto. An additional advantage is found in the use ofremovable fuel grates.

Other and further objects and advantages of my invention will becomeapparent upon reading the following specification taken in conjunctionwith the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a portion of a cooker having anembodiment of the present smoker positioned for operation therein,

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the draft controller normally attachedto the smoker shown in FIG. 1,

FIG. 3 is an end elevation view of the fire box of the smoker shown inFIG. 1 and showing the removable cast iron fuel grates positionedtherein, and

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a typical outdoor cooker having thesmoker accessory of FIG. 1 positioned for operation therein.

Initially, it is pointed out that While the present device isadvantageously adapted to be employed with existing cookers and to beused as a separate accessory purchased for use therewith, with little orno modification required, it is obvious that in the case of new cookersthe present device may be manufactured or tailored so to speakpeculiarly for that cooker and its dimensions and characteristics andthe like. The novel method presented herein for controlling the smoke bymeans of a separate fire box with draft control whereby the smoke isconttolled at the source of the heat is illustrated by a description ofthe particular type of smoker accessory shown in the various figures ofthe drawings.

In FIG. 1, a typical cooker has a substantially rectangular fire box orbody 12 normally closed on the sides, ends and bottom and being open atthe top 14. The upper periphery or edge 16 of the body 12 has positionedthereon transversely thereacross a plurality of removable grids orgrills 18 conventionally constructed from cast iron or cast aluminum andadapted to be removed easily and to be cleaned or replaced. The smokerattachment or accessory device 20 of the present invention is adapted tobe positioned in one end or the other of such a typical cooker 10 byremoving one or more of the grids 18 therefrom; or, if the cooker comeswith grids or grill of continuous length which are not easily detachedin an amount substantially equal to the size of the accessory, the gridor grill may be severed or cut with a hacksaw or the like at a distancecorresponding with the size of the accessory 20 of the presentinvention.

Smoker accessory 20 is preferably constructed in the present embodimentwith a sheet metal body or fire box 22 having sides 24 and ends 26 and abottom 27 integrally connected together forming a closed box with anopen top. A pair of curved, cast iron or cast aluminum or similar fuelor fire grates 28 of substantially identical but reverse constructionare normally inserted in and supported upon opposite ends of the endwalls 26 by means of lugs 30 protruding from the top of each of thegrates 28. The grates 28 are curved inwardly at the bottom as shown inFIGS. 1 and 3 and closely approached touching each other in the interiorof the bottom of the box 24 forming a grate on which charcoal or wood orother fuel may be placed with plenty of open grill work or grid workthrough which smoke and the like may pass. Grates 28 are easily andquickly removable simply by lifting from inside of the box and arereplaced in a similar reverse operation.

On one side 24 of the box 22 there is located the automatic draftcontroller device 36 of the present invention comprising a cast iron orsimilar octagonal cap 38 with attachment flanges 40 having screw holes42 therein through which screws 44 are inserted into the side wall 24 toattach the draft controller 36 firmly in place on the fire box 22. Adraft gate 46 is pivotally mounted on a shaft 48 carried on the cap 38and having the innermost end of a coil spring 50 attached to one endthereof. The other end of the coil spring '50 protrudes outwardly andhas attached thereto a lever 52 having the other end fixed to the topportion of the draft gate 46. The other end of shaft 48 extendsoutwardly from cap 38 through a protruding control flange 54 mountedthereon and is provided with a knurled adjustment screw 56 adapted to beloosened for repositioning the gate 46 and to be re-tightened in place.According to this construction, the gate 46 normally occupies what maybe considered an initial position determined by the position of shaft 48in the plate 54 as determined by the screw 56. Therefore, the amount ofopening through the cap 38 which exists at one extreme may be determinedby the position of gate 46 which may be all the way closed or may besubstantially open, depending upon the amount of draft desired at oneextreme. Coil spring 50 is a metallic spring or similar material whichresponds readily to heat and which contracts in such a manner as tooperate lever 52 on gate 46 thereby opening and closing said gate insaid cap 38 and maintaining the gate in a selected position when theheat approaches and ultimately reaches a certain point. As the coilspring 50 cools, the reverse operation takes place and the draft gate 46will again open. Since the fire or fuel that is burning is to be locatedon the grates 28 inside of the fire box 22 and substantially closed fromthe remainder of the cooker 10 the draft apparatus 36 automaticallygoverns or throttles the amount of draft and controls the extremesthereof from what may be considered initial or open position to closedposition as determined by the heat of the smoke.

The automatic damper 36 on the smoker can be set at the optimumtemperature best suited for barbecuing and smoke cooking, and willcontrol the heat thus preventing the drying out of the food. Inoperating the device, it is suggested that the fire in the smoker beallowed to settle for a period of time such as thirty minutes. Then, bychecking the temperature with a hood gage or the like, the smoker can beadjusted at damper gate 46 to regulate the heat. For slow smoke cookingof typical meats, a temperature of 250-300 degrees Fahrenheit isrecommended.

It is worthwhile to note that the smoker is designed and intended forbarbecuing or cooking with hot smoke and is not particularly recommendedfor broiling steaks or for so-called open cooking which occurs whenusing a brazier or a cooker with the top open, although the device maybe used in this manner if desired. In the operation of the device,reference is now made to FIG. 4 wherein is shown the complete cooker 10which is provided with a movable top or lid 60 having louvers 62 in theends thereof providing some manner of escape of smoke or heat. It isdesirable that louvers 62 be controllable louvers provided with sometype of plate means which may be shifted back and forth to open or closethe louvers as desired. That is a conventional construction in suchcookers and does not per se form any portion or part of this invention.The body 12 of the cooker 10 is provided with a front door or ashremoval and cleaning door 64 providing access to the interior of thefire box 12. The grids or grills 18 on the cooker may be located at anyheight desired and it is perhaps desirable in some instances that theybe moved from their uppermost position shown in FIG. 4 to a lowerposition down in the fire box when cooking certain types of large cutsof meat.

The smoker device 20 'will burn substantially any type of fuel, however,it is recommended that one use only hardwoods, hickory, mesquite, orcharcoal. This fuel 66 is placed in the bottom of the grates 28 andignited to a suitable starting point. Any woods containing tars orrosins should not be used since the taste of them will be imparted tothe food. The fire can be started in the smoker in a normal manner,however, it is recommended that the fire be started by using a smallamount of charcoal, then add the dry wood of your choice for the smokeflavor. After the fire is started, it is not necessary to add additionalcharcoal, but one can continue using dry wood. It will be found that thefire box 22 can be fully fueled, as the automatic damper control 36 willcontrol the heat at an optimum temperature best suited for smokecooking. With the fire started, the smoker will take care of mostcooking for an hour or more without attention, except for occasionalbasting of the food. The automatic damper control 36 can be set at theoptimum temperature best suited for barbecuing and smoke cooking andwill operate in this manner, thus preventing the drying out or abnormalcooking of the food. Plenty of time should be allowed when cooking withsmoke, for example, a half of a chicken takes about four hours and apork rib about three hours. Large roasts, hams or turkeys take a longertime, depending upon the weight and extent of thawing out when thecooking is started.

The ashes in the smoker should be emptied after each use, and this maybe accomplished simply and entirely by removing the removable grates 28or, if preferred, the entire smoker attachment device 320 may be removedfrom the interior of the fire box 12.

In carrying out the hot smoke cooking, the smoke passes upwardly fromthe smoker 20, some escaping through the louvers 62, and some passingdownwardly over the food and returning to the smoker through thethermostatically-controlled gate 46. It is the temperature of thisreturning smoke to which the gate 46 responds, and it automaticallypositions itself to throttle the returning smoke and thus regulate itstemperature. Of course, additional combustion air is constantly enteringthe cooking enclosure and passing to the burning fuel.

While I have shown and described a certain embodiment of my inventiontogether with suggested mode of operation and use thereof, this is byway of disclosure only and is not to be construed as any sort oflimitation on the scope of my invention since various changes,alterations, modifications, eliminations, substitutions, and variationsmay be made in the embodiment shown and described herein withoutdeparting from the scope of my invention defined in the appended claims.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent 1. In combinationWith a closed cooker, a smoker accessory mountable inside of the cookerfor smoke cooking including a fire box for generating hot smoke to theinterior of the closed cooker and having a large opening communicatingwith the cooker interior, and an automatic device for controlling draftthrough the opening and the recirculation of hot smoke from the interiorof the closed cooker to the interior of the fire box.

2. The combination set forth in claim 1 including means for adjustingthe automatic device to pre-set the same for controlling the approximatecooking temperature.

3. In combination with a closed cooker, a smoker accessory mountableinside of the cooker for smoke cooking including a fire box forgenerating hot smoke to the interior of the closed cooker, removablegrates positioned in the fire box, an automatic draft controller on oneside of said fire box for recirculating hot smoke from the interior ofthe closed cooker to the interior of said fire box, means for adjustingthe automatic draft controller to preset same to control the approximatecooking temperature.

4. In combination with a closed cooker, a smoker accessory mountableinside of the cooker for smoke including a fire box having an open topfor generating hot smoke to the interior of the closed cooker, removablegrates positioned in the fire box, an automatic draft controller deviceon said fire box for recirculating hot smoke from the interior of theclosed cooker to the interior of said fire box, and means for adjustingthe automatic draft controller to pre-set same.

5. In combination with a closed cooker having a chamber and a closablelid with vents therein, a smoker accessory mountable in the chamber forsmoke cooking including a smoker fire box for generating hot smoke tothe chamber of the closed cooker and having a large open space thereinthrough which smoke can circulate, a wall on the fire box normallyseparating said fire box from the rest of the chamber so as to separatethe fire from the rest of said cooker, a draft control device mounted onthe fire box wall and having controlled communication with said fire boxand chamber to control the circulation of smoke throughout the openspace of said fire box, the draft control device comprising a housinghaving an opening therethrough for recirculating hot smoke from thechamber of the closed cooker to said open space of said fire box, adraft control gate movably mounted in the opening of the housing, andmeans automatically responding to changes in temperature to move thegate.

6. In combination with a closed cooker having a chamber and a closablelid with vents therein, a smoker accessory mountable in the chamber forsmoke cooking including a smoker fire box for generating hot smoke tothe chamber of the closed cooker and having a large open space thereinthrough which smoke can circulate, a wall on the smoker fire boxnormally separating said fire box from the rest of the chamber so as toseparate the fire from the rest of said cooker, and a draft controldevice mounted on the fire box wall and having controlled communicationwith said fire box and chamber to control the circulation of smokethroughout the open space of said fire box, the draft control devicehaving an opening therethrough for recirculating hot smoke from thechamber of the closed cooker to said open space of said fire box.

7. In combination with a closed cooker having a chamber and a closablelid with vents therein, a smoker accessory mountable in the chamber forsmoke cooking including a smoker fire box for generating hot smoke tothe chamber of the closed cooker and having a large open space thereinthrough which smoke can circulate, a wall on the smoker fire boxnormally separating said fire box from the rest of the chamber so as toseparate the fire from the rest of said cooker, a draft control devicemounted on the fire box Wall and having controlled communication withsaid fire box and chamber to control the circulation of smoke throughoutthe open space of said fire box, the draft control device comprising ahousing having an opening therethrough for recirculating hot smoke fromthe chamber to the open space of said fire box, a draft control gatemovably mounted in the opening of the housing, means responding tochanges in temperature automatically to move the gate, and other meanson said fire box adjustable to pre-set the position of said gate therebypre-setting the temperature range in said cooker.

8. The combination of claim 7 wherein the means to move the gateincludes a metal coil spring having one end attached to said gate.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,174,663 10/1939 Keller 158-1 X2,312,339 3/ 1943 Jones 99-259 2,742,892 4/ 1956 Herzer 12625 X2,842,043 7/1958 Reuland 99-259 2,851,941 9/ 1958 Cogar.

2,867,208 1/1959 True et al 126-276 2,909,170 10/1959 Hathorn 126-252,944,909 7/ 1960 Ziegler 99229 3,139,349 6/1964 Swartz et a1. 99229FOREIGN PATENTS 687,324 2/1953 Great Britain.

CHARLES J. MYHRE, Primary Examiner.

HYMAN LORD, Examiner.

1. IN COMBINATION WITH A CLOSED COOKER, A SMOKER ACCESSORY MOUNTABLEINSIDE OF THE COOKER FOR SMOKE COOKING INCLUDING A FIRE BOX FORGENERATING HOT SMOKE TO THE INTERIOR OF THE CLOSED COOKER AND HAVNG ALARGE OPENING COMMUNICATING WITH THE COOKER INTERIOR, AND AN AUTO-